Tilapia with herbs

I have been on a protein 2 weeks diet trying to increase body mass and be stronger. My problem has always been that of feeling fatigue and tired. I am never able to increase stamina, not matter how often I work out or do the same exercise. Well I am also not consistent but I am moderately active, doing some physical activity at least 4, 5 days a week. I decided to learn a little bit about nutrition through my friends who are athletes, books and websites. I must admit I am doing a drastic change which is never optimal, but I am one of these people – I go all the way – sometimes I fail, sometimes I don’t.

What I am doing is that I cut all cheese, milk, yogurt, etc, carbs (rice, pasta, fruit), starch, processed food, sugar etc. I focused on lean protein, whey powder, nuts and green veggies. I am not perfect, meaning that today I had a coconut soup. I think the point, at least for me is to learn new recipes, a new way of cooking.

I am surprised that I have been inspired with the creation of new recipes – all good. I get to experiment with more vegetables and herbs, which I already loved. Today I felt like having some fish so I bought two tilapia filet. Below the recipe:

For 2 people:

2 tilapia filet; lemon zest (one teaspoon and grated), one stem of medium size celery chopped finely, parsley (1/3 cup finely chopped), lemon juice (half lemon), one clove of finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil.

1. Chopped all ingredients, place them in a large bowl, squeeze the lemon, add some olive oil and stir.

2. Place the fish in the bowl and cover with the mixture. You might want to rub the mixture on the fish.

3. You can use the outside grill or the grill pan for indoor. I used the indoor grill pan which I sprinkle with olive oil so the fish did not stick. When it is hot, place the fish, cover the top with the mixture and let it cook (only on one side) for 5-8 minutes. You need to check based on the size of your fish. Turn off the stove. Flip the fish (make sure you save the mixture when you serve the fish).

Really delicious and simple and cheap.

Let me know what you think,

Gin

Marinate the fish for at least 30 minutes

 

Pasta with artichokes

My friend had made this pasta and posted on #instagram. It looks so easy and yummy that I asked her if I could use it for my blog. This is how she made it.

What you need: one small shallot; one or two big fresh artichokes or 4 already prefaced and ready to use. 4 slices of prosciutto crudo or ham. Parmigiano cheese.

If  you don’t know how to clean artichokes watch this video. Otherwise, clean your artichokes and slice them very thin. In a skillet with extra virgin olive brown the shallot and when transparent add the artichokes. Cook until soft and gold, but not dry. Add the ham chopped in small dices and let cook for other few minutes.

Cook the pasta according to the directions, drain and place in the skillet with the sauce. Add parmigiano reggiano cheese, salt and pepper and serve.

 

 

Easy Classic Hamburger

I usually don’t make hamburgers because they always turn dry inside. I also don’t eat much red meat. Though this week we are basing our recipes on proteins, which includes meat and eggs (and green veggies).

American Classic Hamburger

one pound of ground beef (grass fed); 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper; one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon fresh Asian hot chili sauce (optional); one clove of fresh garlic minced; 1 teaspoon of dry green herbs (could be anything from basil, to thyme). 2/4 cups of bread crumbs.

American Cheddar Cheese for garnish. 4 slices of crispy bacon. Papaya, Ketchup or Mustard (optional). Obviously, you can add/omit any of the ‘garnish things.’

Mix in a bowl the meat and all the ingredients  very well and let rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours. You probably want to prepare this in the morning or at night so you will have an easy dinner the next day.

When you are ready to use the meat, prepare from 4 to 6 patties, shape them like hamburgers. (I like mine to be small, but thick). Heat up a grill and when it is hot enough cook the patties and the bacon on both side. It will take the hamburgers around 15 minutes to cook (depending on how you like your red meat cook). These were medium. The last 2 minutes, place the cheddar cheese on the burgers and let melt. At that point your hamburgers are ready.

Absorb the extra oil from the bacon. On a plate place the hamburger. Then on top of the cheese put one long strip of bacon. On top of that if you like put diced/minced papaya.

Add other condiments if you like. I do not like bread with my hamburger. I found it to be useful extra empty carbs I don’t really need or enjoy.

I served the hamburger with a spinach salad and papaya slices.

Mushroom Strudel

What an easy recipe. It s a mushroom strudel which only takes few minutes to prepare.
strudel mushroom

One pack of pastry dough found in the freezer section of Publix unless you want to make it home-made but then it would not be fast and easy;)
One box of mushrooms (champignon)
Fresh thymes
One teaspoon butter
One teaspoon white wine
Feta cheese (one cup)
One slice of ham
One egg

I suggest to stop by at the supermarket after work and buy the pastry dough because it needs 45 minutes to defrost- so by the time you get home it will be ready. Wash the mushroom and in a skillet place the butter to melt. Add the mushrooms, fresh thymes, salt pepper and white wine. Cook under tender. Set aside. Work the dough like it was a pizza dough until it is thin and shape in a long rectangle. With a brush pour a little bit of melted butter on it. Add a layer of mushrooms, ham, and cheese. Roll it and close the edges. Whisk the yolk and brush the strudel very well.
Place in the oven for 50 minutes- The oven should be at 350!!

So the preparation requires only 10 minutes. You can place it in the oven and work out or take a shower.

By the way the other thing on the dish is chicken but I ll get the recipe another time.

Minestrone Gin

This is all I had in the fridge:

The only thing I could even imagine to cook was some sort of minestrone, stew, frantoiana. Frantoiana is the best soup you can ever eat. It’s a dense zuppa famous is #Lucca, #Tuscany. It’s made with cabbage, beans and roasted spicy bread. I decided to improvise and make some sort of #zuppa. Let me tell you, at first I was skeptical but it turned out to be delicious.

Minestrone a la Gin

one bag frozen peas and carrots

one bag frozen cauliflowers

half onion (diced)

4 cloves of garlic (chopped)

half lemon

some fennel

one shallot

one large patotoes

one can of tomatoes

one tablespoon of cumin

one tablespoon tandoori spices

one tablespoon oregano

salt and pepper

olive oil

one can organic pinto beans smashed

old bread to toast and make croutons (as well as a variety of dry herbs)

2 cups of water (half liter).

pecorino cheese

the butt of parmigiano reggiano cheese

fresh herbs (oregano, basil, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, etc)

I hope that’s all. I really put everything in here. I wanted to be tasty, so I experimented with a lot of different spices. I met not too long ago a PhD student from Iran and she told me how she use lemon with her stew. It was awesome.

The first thing you want to do is place all the chopped onions, garlic and shallot, fresh herbs in a large pot covered with generous layer of olive oil. Add the oregano, the cumin and the tandoori spices. Add the lemon and the fennel chopped finely as well. Let it cook until it is brown and gold.

Add the frozen veggies and the potato chopped. Salt and pepper and cook on medium/high. Cook at least for 10 minutes. Add a can of tomatoes and the water. Stir and let cook for 15 minutes.

In the meantime smash the beans (one can will be enough). Then prepare the croutons. Cut old bread in cubes. Place in a large bowl with dry herbs and olive oil. Mix well. Then place on a baking sheet and place in the over to toast. Delicious. Set aside.

Taste the soup now. If it tastes like nothing add spices/herbs to it. At this point it should not be as running as early. Add the bean paste. Stir. Cook on low heat for 5-15 minutes. I like mine when it gets a little bit burned on the bottom. It is very dense and not running.

Serve the bread on the bottom (or top). Pour the minestrone. Sprinkle with cheese and olive oil and serve hot.

Cod and Tilapia healthy cooking

I had a filet of cod and one of tilapia I had to cook. This recipe turned out to be delicious; very tasty and super healthy, low calories. It’s amazing how you can put some herbs together and get something so flavory. On a side note, I have been super busy with #FSU3DS, this event I helped organizing at FSU. It’s a 3 day workshop for students to start their own tech business. No joke!. It has been amazing and really motivated me to look into having my own business. But with business you need fuel for your brain so eat some fish!

I had some left over capper sauce which I used to marinate the fish. What you want to do get a cup of big or small cappers, add a cup of fresh parsley, add olive oil and one or two lemon juice. Mix everything with the hand mixer and place in a skillet with a spoon of olive oil and some toasted garlic. Add some water so the sauce does not stick and burn. At that point add the fish (you can use any type of fish). Cover the fish with oregano. Cover with 1/4 of orange juice. Cover with a lid and let cook for 20 minutes. Done.

This was truly a big surprise. The fish gets to be boiled in water and juice. It is tender and very light. Delicious.

Again, I have no time to take pictures so you get a tomato. Ahahahah

Frittata with onions

This is such an easy and rewarding recipe. I made it at night and brought it in the office. I also left half at home for late nights when I don’t feel like cooking. I am sorry I don’t have pictures. I have been cooking many dishes without taking pictures. I know it is not very appealing to a reader, but I guess suck it up because the food is good. I am definitely going to make this recipe again so I will update this page next time.

Frittata x 2 

6 eggs (if you are concerned about cholesterol use only white eggs)

2 small onions (the ones that look like scallions but are bigger)

Olive oil

shredded mozzarella (1/2 cup)

1/4 heavy cream organic of course and grass fed

Slice the onions/shallots (2 are enough for me) so that they are thin. Beat the eggs, add heavy cream, salt, pepper, and cheese. Heat the oil that needs to cover the skillet and place the onions until they are brown. Then add the eggs and cook on low heat. When one of the side is ready (brownish/gold) flip the frittata with a plate and cook the other side.

Cream with caramelized peach – crema pasticcera con pesche

A tasty dessert for a weekend or special occasion. It makes enough for 4 small bowls. I made it for my friends who came over Saturday night.

Ingredients:

2 peaches cut in half and peel them. Brush them with butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

5 yolks (organic and fresh)

one cup of organic sugar

a spoon of Brandy, or Marsala or Martini

200 g of heavy cream whipped

Watch the video to see how to caramelize the peaches. You can put them on a grill until they get soft and caramelized. Set on a side.

Place the eggs in a bowl to cook in a double boiler. Add the sugar. Keep whisking the eggs and sugar until it gets somewhat dense and double in size. It will take a while. I mean a while and your arm will be sore. It is like doing push ups. Add some Brandy or whatever you chose to. Add some organic zest. Once it is ready (this is crucial) place the bowl on a bigger bowl full of ice. Set to cool off.

When the cream is cooled off, slowly add the whipped cream. Move without whisking the cream. Place in the refrigerator to cool off.

When you are ready to serve, warm up the peaches in the microwave. Place the cream in the small bowls and the peach on top. Sprinkle grated dark chocolate (90%) and serve.

Please watch the video to see the finishing touch. Enjoy!

Crema alle pesche

Omelette with zucchini – Frittata con zucchine

I made a video. Yep. It is actually pretty embarrassing in terms of editing, but I had only 4 hours to cook multiple meals for a dinner I had at my place and was really not trying to figure out Imovie in less than 10 minutes. I will promise I will get better. 

Omelette with zucchini

6 egg whites

2 eggs

2 zucchini

dried tomatoes 

salt, pepper, olive oil

For the sauce

cappers

parsley

olive oil

lemon juice

For the sauce mix all ingredients together until they make a nice and creamy sauce like a pesto. Serve the sauce on top of the omelette. 

This recipe comes from an Italian food magazine called Sale e Pepe. However, I modified it because I did not want all the cholesterol, so I used white eggs and only two eggs. I also used big cappers, not small. Watch the video for the steps on how to make the omelette. Make sure your omelette is thin like a crepes. You should be able to make two rolls with 8 eggs. 

Video Here: 

Lazy, quick healthy dinner

I have not being in the mood to cook complicated dishes. Tonight, I just want to edit a paper I am submitting to a conference in May, so this is the super cheat dinner of all times. 

Salsiccia arrosto con peperoni (roasted sausages with red peppers)

half onion (white)

1 Green pepper

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

fresh cilantro (just a hint)

one cup of fresh white mushrooms

3 fresh local sausages or at least buy the ones from your supermarket in the green section

Brown the onion in olive oil, season with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and whatever spices you want. Add peppers, mushrooms, cilantro, and last sausages. The sausages should be cut in half and with your knife cut slightly cut the top to get air out when they cook. You might want to look at the following picture. 

Cook at first on medium for 10 minutes, then on low until the veggies and meat are cooked. Cover with a lid when cooking so the veggies will get steamy. 

As far as it goes, I am now on the third week of my healthy diet/way of being. According to my old fashioned scale I only lost a miserable .5 in two weeks, but I am not really upset because I am now feeling so energetic and strong. Also, it might be due to the fact that I am building muscles, not sure though. I have to ask my friend who knows much more than me about this stuff. The point is that real change habits should not be measured by a number but the way you feel and your awareness of what food is healthy for your body.